1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to installation of fiber optic cable on poles elevated above ground and, more particularly, relates to a safe and convenient technique for providing accurate cable slack lengths at certain locations along the path of that installation.
2. Description of Prior Art
In this modern world of improved communication, it is commonplace to see cables strung on utility poles, high above ground. These cables can be used for TV, telephone, fax, and/or Internet communication, etc. The latest kind of cable to be used for these communication purposes may be a fiber optic cable.
When fiber optic cable is used for this purpose, cable splicing is generally required at certain locations where the cable is to be communicatively-connected to a terminal, typically at the location of each utility pole and elevated above ground. To accomplish this, a certain amount of cable slack is required to be positioned at the top of each utility pole to enable the cable stringer (lineman or technician or installer), positioned high above ground, to make the appropriate splice. Based on experience, a certain amount of cable length slack is optimum for this splicing purpose, e.g., five feet of slack for a particular kind of fiber-optic cable.
Currently, the lineman merely guesses at this length or, if he/she has a tape measure, ruler, or other measuring device, attempts to make an accurate five-foot measurement of the cable while positioned high above ground in an aerial bucket or while hanging from the pole. These prior art techniques are problematical. For example, if the guesstimate of the slack is too long, cable is wasted and, if a sufficient number of cable slack guesstimates are too long, there may not be sufficient overall cable length to finish the stringing of the cable along the poles of the intended installation route. On the other hand, if the guesstimate is too short at any particular terminal location, then there may not be sufficient slack cable to allow the subsequent splice to be properly made; the splice may be prone to failure because the glass fiber strands may break if the cable needs to be bent to, or beyond, its bending limits in order to accomplish the splice. Moreover, juggling a measuring device to measure a length of cable while hovering in an aerial bucket, or while hanging from a utility pole, may not be safe or convenient under all conditions. A better way of making a cable slack measurement under aerial installation conditions is needed. Applicant provides a solution to this problem of the prior art.